2 Kings 11-13

The Voice

11 When Ahaziah’s mother, Athaliah, found out that Ahaziah had been killed, she saw to it that the rest of the royal offspring were killed.

² Jehosheba, King Joram’s daughter and Ahaziah’s sister and wife of Jehoiada the priest, took one of Ahaziah’s sons, Joash,^[a] away from the rest of the royal offspring who were being killed; and she hid him in the bedchamber of the temple priests where he would be safe with his nurse. By hiding him from Athaliah, Jehosheba ensured his survival. ³ Joash and his nurse lived secretly in the Eternal’s temple for the six years Athaliah ruled Judah.

⁴ During the seventh year, Jehoiada summoned the commanders of the Carites’ divisions and of the soldiers; and he gave them instructions to meet him in the Eternal’s house. There in the temple, Jehoiada entered into a covenant with them and made them swear to honor it. Then he revealed Ahaziah’s son, Joash, to them.

⁹ All the commanders of hundreds did exactly as Jehoiada the priest had instructed them to do. The commanders gathered their men coming on duty and going off duty on the Sabbath and brought them to Jehoiada the priest. ¹⁰ The priest handed out King David’s spears and shields to all the commanders, the weapons that were kept in the Eternal’s temple. ¹¹ Then all the protectors took up their weapons and went to their posts—on the right and left of the palace, by the temple and its altar, and around the king.

¹² Jehoiada then escorted the king’s son and placed the crown atop his head. He gave him the testimony of dedication, and he anointed Joash as king. In that moment, his kingship was made official. Then every one clapped and cheered.

¹³ Athaliah heard the loud noise that the guards and the people were making, and she went to meet everyone who was in the Eternal’s temple. ¹⁴ When she got there, she looked over and saw the new king standing by the sacred pillar, according to tradition. The commanders and trumpeters were standing next to him. Everyone was celebrating and blowing their trumpets. When Athaliah perceived all of this, she tore her garments.

¹⁵ Jehoiada the priest was in charge of all the commanders of hundreds who were in charge of the army units.

Because the priest had warned, “Do not spill her blood in the Eternal’s temple,” ¹⁶ they grabbed her and escorted her to the palace entrance that was used by mounted riders, and they executed her there.

¹⁷ Jehoiada then entered into a covenant between the Eternal, the king, and the people: the king and his people would belong to the Eternal and live as God’s people, and the people would accept Joash as their king. ¹⁸ Immediately after the covenant was made, everyone in the country rushed over to Baal’s temple and demolished it. They destroyed Baal’s altars and shattered everything made in his image. They slaughtered Mattan, Baal’s priest, right in front of the altars. Jehoiada then designated special guards to protect the Eternal’s temple. ¹⁹ He gathered up the commanders of hundreds of the Carites’ divisions, the soldiers, and everyone in the entire country. They escorted the king from the Eternal’s temple to the palace and then traveled together through the soldiers’ gate. King Joash then sat upon the throne. ²⁰ Everyone in the entire country was glad, and the entire city was calm and at peace. They had put an end to Athaliah by killing her with a sword at the palace.

²¹ Jehoash^[b] was only seven years old when all this took place and he began to reign.

12 During Jehu’s seventh year, Jehoash inherited the throne in Jerusalem. His reign lasted for 40 years. His mother was Zibiah of Beersheba. ² Jehoash was righteous in the Eternal’s eyes during the entire time he was mentored by Jehoiada the priest. ³ But the high places remained. They were not destroyed, and people still went to them to offer sacrifices and burn incense.

⁶ During King Jehoash’s 23rd year, the Eternal One’s temple was only getting worse because the priests had not used any money to repair the Eternal One’s house. ⁷ So King Jehoash questioned Jehoiada and the other priests.

⁸ The priests agreed they would not take any more monetary offerings from anyone, and they would not repair the Eternal’s temple.

^9-10 Jehoiada the priest gouged a hole in the lid of a chest and set it next to the altar. He put it on the right side of the altar, so that everyone walked past it as they entered into the Eternal’s temple. The priests who stood at the entrance placed all the monetary offerings that were carried into the Eternal’s temple into the chest. When the chest was almost full, the king’s secretary and the high priest counted the money and placed it into separate bags. ¹¹ They handed the money to the workers who took care of the Eternal’s temple, and then handed out money to the carpenters and builders who repaired it, ¹² and they also gave some of the money to the masons and stonecutters who paid for the wood and carved stone and other materials that went into repairing the Eternal’s temple. ¹³ None of the monetary offerings that were given to the Eternal’s temple were used to make silver cups, snuffers, bowls, trumpets, gold vessels, or silver vessels. ¹⁴ All the money went to those who repaired the Eternal’s temple for their work. ¹⁵ The priests did not ask for any receipts or documentation to be made of the financial handlings. The workers were completely trustworthy and did not cheat. ¹⁶ Any monetary offerings—be they guilt offerings or sin offerings—still belonged to the priests and were not carried into the Eternal’s temple.

¹⁷ Meanwhile Hazael (Aram’s king) was fighting Gath in Philistia, and he took the entire city captive. Then he put his sights on Jerusalem. ¹⁸ Jehoash, Judah’s king, gathered up all the sacred articles that his ancestors, Judah’s kings—Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah—had consecrated, as well as all the many articles he himself had consecrated. He gathered up all the gold in the treasuries in the Eternal’s temple and in the palace, and he sent it all to Hazael, Aram’s king. After that, Hazael departed from Jerusalem.

¹⁹ Is not the rest of Jehoash’s^[c] story—his actions and lasting legacy—documented in the book of the chronicles of Judah’s kings? ²⁰ Those who served Joash plotted against him, and they killed him at the house of Millo while he was on his way to Silla.

²¹ Joash’s own servants, Jozacar (Shimeath’s son) and Jehozabad (Shomer’s son) were the ones who assassinated him. They laid him to rest with his ancestors in the city of David. Joash’s son, Amaziah, then inherited the throne.

13 When Joash, son of Ahaziah and king of Judah, had ruled Judah 23 years, Jehoahaz (Jehu’s son) succeeded his father as king of Israel in Samaria. He sat upon the throne for 17 years. ² Jehoahaz committed evil in the Eternal’s eyes. He walked the wicked path of Jeroboam (Nebat’s son) causing the Israelites to live sinful lives. Jehoahaz did not abandon Jeroboam’s sins.

³ The Eternal’s wrath burned against Israel, and He handed them over to Hazael, Aram’s king, and to Ben-hadad, Hazael’s son. ⁴ Jehoahaz begged for the Eternal One to hear him, and the Eternal granted his desperate request and listened to him. He perceived the suffering of Israel, and He knew how Aram’s king caused that suffering. ⁵ The Eternal One sent a savior, so that they escaped from the rule of the Arameans. The Israelites then went back to living in their own tents. ⁶ Even though they escaped from the Arameans, the Israelites continued walking the wicked path that they had learned from the family of Jeroboam—the path that caused the Israelites to live sinful lives. The sacred poles were not demolished in Samaria either. They remained standing and in use. ⁷ Jehoahaz’s army was decimated. He was left with only 50 horsemen, 10 chariots, and 10,000 foot soldiers at most. Aram’s king had killed everyone else. They were trampled like dust on the ground.

⁸ Is not the rest of Jehoahaz’s story—his actions and lasting legacy—documented in the book of the chronicles of Israel’s kings? ⁹ Jehoahaz left this world to sleep with his fathers and was laid to rest in Samaria. His son, Joash, then inherited the throne.

¹⁰ During the 37th year of Joash of Judah’s reign, Jehoash (Jehoahaz’s son) inherited the throne of Israel in Samaria. His reign lasted 16 years. ¹¹ He committed evil in the Eternal’s eyes. He walked the wicked path of Jeroboam (Nebat’s son)—causing the Israelites to live sinful lives.

¹² Is not the rest of the story of Joash (King of Israel)—his actions and his courage toward Amaziah, Judah’s king—documented in the book of the chronicles of Israel’s kings? ¹³ Joash of Israel left this world to sleep with his fathers and was laid to rest in Samaria with Israel’s kings. Jeroboam then inherited the throne.

¹⁴ Now Elisha was sick with a terminal illness; and Joash, Israel’s king, came to visit him. He cried over Elisha,

Joash did as Elisha instructed and brought a bow and some arrows back to Elisha’s bedside.

So Joash gripped the bow, and Elisha placed his hands over the king’s hands.

So Joash opened the window.

So Joash drew back the bow and launched the arrow as far as he could.

So Joash took the arrows.

So Joash hit the ground three times and stood up. ¹⁹ But the man of God became angry at this.

²⁰ Elisha then died and was laid to rest.

The Moabite bandits used to storm the land every spring. It was expected by the people. ²¹ During the springtime, while a group of men were out burying a man, they spied a gang of bandits approaching them. They became afraid, so they threw the dead man’s body into Elisha’s grave. As soon as the dead man’s body touched the bones of Elisha, the dead man miraculously came back to life and stood up.

²² Hazael, Aram’s king, persecuted and abused the Israelites all during Jehoahaz’s reign. ²³ But the Eternal One was gracious and compassionate toward them. He was good and turned his face to them because of the covenant He had made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Eternal, true to His promise, had protected them and remained near them until now.

²⁴ After Hazael (Aram’s king) died, his son, Ben-hadad, inherited the throne. ²⁵ Jehoash, the king of Israel and Jehoahaz’s son, captured the same cities from Ben-hadad (Hazael’s son) that Ben-hadad had captured from his father, Jehoahaz. Joash crushed him and delivered Israel’s cities three different times just as Elisha had prophesied.